Tekken Tag 2: Fate and Allies
by ZZ Eclipse
Summary: After three years of living as normal a life as Asuka Kazama can, she finally sees her chance to reclaim the honor that has been taken from her Family when the Second Tekken Tag Tournament is suddenly announced. As Fate would have it, she meets an unlikely ally who is equally driven by the promise of revenge on the one who left him with nothing. (Set after Tekken: Blood Vengeance)
1. Chapter 1: Same Beginnings

The calm and quiet morning was suddenly broken by the blaring horn from a car. The driver stuck his head out and screamed obscenities as Asuka Kazama zipped out from in front of him on her bicycle and crossed the street.

"Watch where you're driving, idiot!" She yelled back at him as she rode up the ramp onto the sidewalk. Her long brown bangs slapped against her face in the wind, adding to her frustration as she slowed to a stop. She glanced down at the yellow sheet of paper in her hand.

**LAST CALL FOR GRADUATION CLASS SELECTION – 8:30 AM SHARP, **it read.

Asuka glanced up at the large clock standing watch over the sidewalk and smiled. Fifteen minutes to go. Plenty of time to get down the five blocks to her school. This was her graduation year and as a gesture of farewell, the students in her private school were allowed to choose the last class they would study before leaving High School.

Asuka readjusted her backpack and began to pedal away. Her head suddenly snapped to her right when she heard furious shouting down the street.

"You idiot!" A tall thug with a vibrant red mohawk, covered from head to toe in tattoos swung a fist at a smaller man in business attire, knocking him to the ground. "You got coffee all over me!"

"I'm so sorry, sir," the smaller man was saying, holding tissue paper to stop the bleeding from his nose.

"You're _gonna_ be sorry, pal!" Mohawk charged the smaller man, spear-tackling him against the side of a building. He got off two good punches but the third was stopped in mid-air. He grunted in pain as his arm was twisted behind his back.

"You shouldn't pick on someone who can't defend himself," Asuka said politely, tightening her hold on his arm. With a powerful swing, the bully was lifted off his feet and tossed onto the side of the road like a rag doll. "Get lost," she barked.

Mohawk did not oblige. He reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a clenched fist.

"You really should learn to mind your own business, my little pretty," he snickered. A knife blade sprung up in his hand. "Don't ya know it's dangerous stuff messin' with the Yakuza?"

Anger simmered in Asuka's eyes. Only cowards attack victims weaker than themselves and only bastards did it armed.

"What's the matter, girlie?" He taunted, swiveling the blade in his hand. "Scared?"

Asuka scoffed at him. "Let's get this over with, I've got school in less than ten minutes."

She didn't wait for another smartass remark. She charged at him like a bullet train. She jumped, using the momentum to propel herself at him, stretching her right leg out like a spear. The powerful kick hit the thug square in the face, launching him off the ground again, but Asuka wasn't done with him yet. As he fell she swung one of her finely toned legs in a powerful upper kick that launced him in the air again. She didn't have to calculate where he was going to land. For her, it was all muscle memory. She stepped a foot over the other over and over, spinning in a circle. As Mohawk came down from his second fall, Asuka's right leg exploded in a spinning heel drop that sent him spiraling away, crashing against a building across the street.

He coughed in pain as Asuka strutted towards him, kicking the knife aside and grabbing for his shirt.

"I give, I give!" He pleaded in a whiny voice.

Asuka laughed at him.

"You're all show," she said. "I don't wanna see you around here again, got it?"

She slammed the man against the wall roughly and walked away. The shorter man that had been assaulted by him had picked up his glasses and ran away by now. Asuka walked over to her bicycle, straightened out her uniform vest and glanced up at the clock.

"Damn," she groaned when she saw that she only had three minutes to get to the class selection event. Cutting off the truck that was crossing the street in front of her, Asuka peddled furiously towards Osaka International Private School.

* * *

**Osaka International Private School**

* * *

The schoolyards were bustling with students when she got there. It took her ten minutes to find a spot to secure her bicycle. Snapping the security lock in place, she ran up the steps into the building and dived through the sea of students towards the appropriate application booth. To her surprise there was no line waiting at the booth she'd wanted. With a gleeful cheer she raced up to the booth and slammed her yellow application slip on the table.

"Martial Sciences, please!" She told the fat woman behind the booth. The woman glared up at her, her bored expression becoming more sour. "Wait in line like everybody else!" She barked.

"What? There is no line!" Asuka protested.

"Actually, there is," a silky young voice next to her said in French, making Asuka's guts boil She recognized the voice immediately. Wearing her usual frilly white dress, Emilie De Rochefort giggled. "Asuka, darling, it's not polite to cut in line you know."

"Lili! I was here first!" Asuka said.

"Get in line and wait like everyone else!" The woman behind the booth bellowed.

Asuka grumbled but took her application slip and lined up behind her long time rival. Lili seemed to revel in ruining her day, ever since the day they first met in their freshmen year of high school. Their feud had lasted throughout their high school years and she was glad that she only one more semester of her snobbish attention to put up with. Then she would be free of her!

"So," the fat woman was saying when Asuka was brought from her thoughts. "Fine arts for you, young lady? A great choice. You will do fine."

Lili turned to give Asuka a sideways smirk.

Asuka rolled her eyes.

"Actually, my good lady. Could you please change that to Martial Sciences, please?" She said, sweetly.

_Of course._ Asuka sighed in defeat.

The woman grumbled but signed the slip.

"Congratulations, Miss Rochefort. Welcome to Martial Sciences,"she said, dismissively. "Next!"

Lili stepped to the side and allowed Asuka to approach the booth, smiling at her knowingly.

"What?" Asuka raised an eyebrow in suspicion. The glint in Lili's sky blue eyes hinted anticipation.

"Oh, nothing, _mon __petit_ ," she said. "Nothing at all."

Asuka gave the slip to the woman.

"Here, now can you sign me up for the Martial Sciences class, _please_?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the woman said, sarcastically. "It seems we've just just filled our last spot available. Perhaps I can interest you in a spot in Fine Arts?"

Asuka froze over. A numbness crawled through her skin.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"All of our Martial Sciences positions have been filled, please choose another class."

Asuka shook her head, not believing what she was hearing. She turned to Lili and immediately understood the glint behind her eyes and the victorious smile pursing in her face.

"You knew," Asuka said, anger beginning to tint her voice. "You knew that was the last spot, so you took it!"

Lili gasped, bringing her open palm to her mouth in feigned surprise.

"Now, now, Asuka," she said. "You know it's rude to accuse others of something they didn't do."

The numbness in Asuka's face receded into tingling in her cheeks.

"You knew how bad I wanted that class!" Asuka screamed, ignoring the fat lady that was trying to quiet her down. "You're not taking this from me, too!"

Lili swiveled gracefully on her expensive boots, her heels clicking against the polished school floor.

"I don't have to put up with this," Lili said with feigned indignation. "Enjoy your cooking class, Asuka!_ Au revoir_."

Asuka lost it.

The students moved out of the way as she charged like a thunderbolt after Lili. Lili froze and Asuka realized a second after she had launched herself into a flying kick that Lili had been expecting this. With an athletic flip, Lili jumped backwards, gracefully swinging her legs sideways. The aerial side kick caught Asuka in midair. Both girls fell the floor. Asuka managed to roll back in time to see the back of Lili's boots smash against her face again and again as Lili went into three backflip kicks before landing on her feet.

The force of the impact slammed Asuka against a display case of trophies, smashing it into pieces. Asuka ignored the fresh cuts in her face, hands and knees. She propelled her self forward as Lili ran up for a follow up kick. Asuka leaned back, putting all her weight on her right elbow. The elbow smashed against Lili, sending her flying back towards the glass doors.

Asuka wiped the blood from her face as she ran to follow through with a kick. Lili, anticipating the move, swung her long, spidery legs into a frenzy of kicks but Asuka switched her posture at the last second, diving down low feet first. The trick worked. Lili was swept away by the low kick. As she fell, Asuka caught her, spinning her around three times and slamming her against the glass windows.

Lili screamed as she burst through the thick glass panels, flew over the three sets of stairs and landed on the ground outside, hard. She clawed at her chest, forcing herself to get back up. She looked up to see Asuka standing at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips.

"That's the lesson for today," Asuka said, clapping the dust from her hands.

A large group of students were now surrounding the entire scene, happy to see that their favorite school rivals were fighting each other again.

Lili growled in rage, wiping away the blood from her lips and nose. She picked herself up from the ground and reached for the long new tear in her frilly dress. With a swift tug, she ripped her dress off, revealing a skin tight corset and athletic shorts underneath. The students, especially the males, went wild, some cheering for the fight, others recording it with their cellphones.

The two girls ran at each other like two rabid lionesses fighting for the last scrap of meat. To Asuka's dismay, Lili only got faster without the restraints of a dress. Her attacks were unpredictable and wild. Lili danced around her in a flurry of kicks, true to her Monegasque-style Gymnastic Street Fighting technique. An upper kick to the jaw sent Asuka flying back. She used the speed and angle of her landing to roll back onto her feet.

She chuckled and Lili, panting with exhaustion, gave her a curious look.

"Had enough?" She asked in that honey sweet voice of hers.

"I'm just getting started," Asuka said, giving her arms a quick stretch. "Don't hold anything back."

Asuka had seen the weakness in Lili's fighting style. Speed. As wild and unpredictable as she was, she was slow. And speed was something Asuka had on her side. Speed and power.

Lili flipped into a sideways kick again but instead of attempting to block it, Asuka stepped into it, managing to grab Lili in midair and putting her weight into a swing that slammed Lili against the ground. Asuka followed through with a mid-body kick and three quick low kicks that prevented Lili from recovering. Asuka dove into Lili, managing to lock her legs against Lili's sides and giving her four deafening open palm slaps.

Asuka back-flipped away from Lili, who rose to her feet, dazed. She ran forward, jumping into three low sweeper kicks. With a final shout, she slammed her knee into Lili's abdomen. Lili screamed in pain and fell back down to the ground, clutching at her stomach as the crowd of students erupted into roaring cheers.

"Ouch!" Lili spat out in a wounded voice that still retained her sweet tone. "That hurt, you barbarian!"

Asuka laughed victoriously and crouched down next to her beaten rival.

"Man, you're weak," she said, poking at Lili's cheek. Lili angrily swatted her hand away, raising a fist to strike back.

"Enough," boomed a voice from behind them both. The two girls groaned when they turned around.

The Principle stomped out angrily at the two. "You two have caused enough trouble. Look at my school! It's ruined!"

"She started it!" Both girls said in unison, pointing at each other.

"You, go home and cover up," he barked at Lili. "Kazama, to my office, now!"

Asuka groaned. The day hadn't even started and she was already in trouble.

An old, well dressed man appeared from behind the principle and helped Lili to her feet, walking her to a limousine.

"Please don't tell my father I was fighting today, Sebastian!" Lili pleaded in French as her butler led her away.

The students around Asuka cheered one final time for her as she followed the furious principal back into the building.

Unbeknownst to her, a certain someone had been watching her fight the entire time from his classroom office in the fifth floor. He swiped a lock of silver hair from his eyes and smiled, genuinely impressed.

"Endurance, fists of steel and the heart of a lioness... Excellent!"


	2. Chapter 2: Shattered to Pieces

**AN: JUST WANTED TO SAY THANKS FOR READING MY NEW FANFIC; I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. AND YES, THEY ARE THE TEKKEN TAG 2 TEAM I USE TO UNLEASH A CAN OF WHOOPASS ON MY OPPONENTS ;D WELL, ENJOY! THANKS :)**

* * *

Asuka strode inside the principal's office, noticing that all but one of the glass panels around it had been destroyed during her struggle with Lili. She walked over to one of the empty chairs and plopped down on it. The principal entered the office right behind her, slamming the door angrily. The force of impact shattered the last remaining glass panel.

Asuka giggled and this enraged the principal.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?" He vociferated. Asuka merely shifted in her seat.

"Well it is pretty funny."  
"Silence! You will listen to me now, Asuka Kazama, and you will listen good!" his voice dropped to a low threatening purr. Asuka heaved a heavy sigh. "Yes, sir."

"I have tolerated this little feud between you and Emilie de Rochefort for three and a half years; three and a half _years_ of constant disruptions and millions of Yen in repairs."

"But Lili-"

"Enough!" he cut her off, continuing after Asuka lowered her head in silence. "Now, I know that you have been going through rough times, especially with your parents' recent divorce. Nevertheless, this behavior isn't new. I have tried so hard to get you two to reform and settle your differences like civilized individuals, but I now realize, perhaps a little too late, that that's simply not going to happen unless I implement a harsh punishment."

Asuka raised an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?" She demanded.

"Asuka," a voice boomed from behind her. Instant recognition was like a splash of icy cold water over her head. "_Papa_," she half-whispered.

Asuka turned in her seat and there, standing in the broken doorway over shattered glass, leaning on a sturdy wooden cane, was her father.

"Welcome, Mr. Kazama," the Principal said. "Thank you for coming in such short notice."

"What's this about?" He asked, worry in his voice.

"I'm sure you've had a chance to admire your daughter's handiwork." The principal motioned towards the broken glass and demolished trophy display in the hall outside.

"That's not fair!" Asuka said.

"Asuka, you did this?"

"No!"

"She got into a fight with another student this morning."

"She was asking for it!" Asuka defended herself, her cheeks blushing into a rosy pink. "I was only defending myself!"

The principal picked up a remote from his desk and aimed it at a television screen behind him. The screen came to life, showing Asuka beating the snot out of the Monegasque belle. With a powerful swing, Lili was sent crashing through the glass windows. The image zoomed in to Asuka, standing proudly at the top of the stairs with her hands on her hips.

"That's the lesson for today," her recorded doppelganger said before the screen was shut off.

"Is this what you have been using what I've taught you all along?" Her father's stare was penetrating and his voice was a concoction of anger, dismay and sadness.

"_Papa_, I can explain-,"

"I want no excuses," he cut her off. "Only children use excuses and you are not a child anymore. You are nineteen years old, Asuka! Act like it!"

Asuka clawed at her hair in frustration.

"If you'd let me explain-"

Her father breathed in a deep sigh, a gesture he always used when preparing his final statement to end the discussion.

"Asuka, you disappoint me so much," he said, deep sadness in his voice. "You are unruly, rebellious and destructive. You have no idea how much you dishonor me with your actions."

Asuka gasped at the words. The shock of them hit her like a tidal wave, shattering her tough personality and breaking her heart. Tears sprang to her eyes and she turned away from her father in shame. She dropped her head into her palms and, unable to contain her frustration and shame anymore, her shoulders began to shake in silent sobs. All she'd ever wanted was to make her father proud of his only daughter. Instead she had brought shame to their name and that was something she could not bear.

The principal cleared his throat, shuffling some papers around in his desk.

"Today was supposed to be the day you elected your final class to end your school year. Had a different person been in my place, you would have not only been expelled from this school, you would have been charged and sued."

Asuka lifted her face towards him. Her face was flushed with emotion and tears ran freely down from her eyes.

"I want you to succeed academically and learn from your mistakes, so I will not expel you. However, I will punish you by taking your class selection from you." With a quick movement, he ripped the slip in half and Asuka watched the two pieces fall to the desk like dead Autumn leaves. "You have been assigned to Class A-2, Robotic Engineering."

Asuka groaned, but she knew there was nothing she could do now.

"We have a brand new teacher that just transferred in from Kyoto International High School. You will do fine there, I promise. You just need to let go of all that anger in you and focus on your studies, because if you don't, you will not graduate again and you will not be accepted into this school a third time."

Asuka tightened her grip on her backpack as the principal finished writing something down in a sheet of paper. She didn't dare turn to face her father out of shame. The principal signed the sheet of paper and handed it to her. "Classroom A-2," he said. "Mr. Chaolan will be happy to have you."

Asuka took the note and stuffed it in her backpack. She got up to leave and prepared herself to face her father again, but when she turned around, her father was gone. The empty pit in her stomach swallowed her and she made her way out of the office, ignoring the whispers of her fellow students as she passed by them. Her day had gone from bright to dark in the same hour.

Her father's words of disapproval echoed in her head and when she entered the classroom, she was glad it was empty. She dropped her stuff to the floor and crumbled against the wall, crying miserably. She was a tough girl. She mediated gangs on her free time, stopping fights between men twice her size on a regular basis. But no blow had ever struck her as hard as her father's disappointment. So she cried because she rarely did.

"Is my class really that dreadful?" Asked a polite voice from across the room, making Asuka's head snap up in surprise. A young man in silvery hair with the face of one of those American Ken dolls emerged from behind a life-sized robot across the room. "Personally, I love robotics but I can understand if those feelings are not reciprocated."

"I'm fine," she said, her sorrow instantly turning into anger at being watched in her most vulnerable state. "Is the teacher here?"

He laughed heartily.

"That would be me. Do not be fooled by my young appearance," he said. "I'm much older than I look. And you are?"

Asuka reached for the new slip the principal had given her and handed it to the silver-haired man, who read it silently.

"Ohh, you are my new student!" his enthusiasm only rubbed at her wound and Asuka didn't like it. "Excellent! My name is Lee Chaolan. Welcome to Robotic Engineering. You may have a seat anywhere you wish." He motioned towards the rows of empty chairs.

"Am I the only one in your class?" Asuka asked, putting her stuff down in the seat farthest back and away from Lee's desk.

"So far," he said, glancing outside through the glass panels. "I had the same problem in Kyoto International. I'm sure everyone's still filling out their request forms, so we still may have more students to come."

"Right," Asuka sighed. _Great. Now I'm stuck with a pushover teacher in a __boring __classroom by myself._

"So," Lee walked over to the chalkboard, so joyful that Asuka thought he would break out into dance. "Shall we begin?"

Asuka took a deep breath and powered on the laptop at her desk.

"I suppose."

"Excellent!"

* * *

**Kazama Residence**

* * *

It was getting dark by the time Asuka arrived home on her bicycle. The house was empty and dark inside. Asuka made her way upstairs to her room. She had been psyching herself up to face her father again and the empty feeling in her stomach threatened to swallow her whole. When she reached her room, she dropped her heavy backpack and ripped the already torn uniform from her body.

Reaching into her closet she brought out a fresh robe and wrapped it around her body, fastening it against her waist with her black belt. She knew exactly where to find her father.

He was not in the house; there was only one other place he'd be.

Her father grunted twice as he slammed both fists in a flurry against the stationary training mokujin. The lifeless doll took the punishment, slamming against the side of the dojo and crumbling to the wooden floor at Asuka's bare feet.

"New challenger!" She announced, happily prancing to the center of the dojo. "C'mon, _Papa_! Let's spar, you and I. I challenge you!"

Her father's strain-etched face fell stern again and instead of laughing and getting into position like he always did, his jaw clenched and he backed away.

"_Papa_, what is it?"

Her father shook his head, finally looking up at her.

"Asuka, do not think your actions have gone unpunished."

Asuka snorted.

"I'll say! That class is so boring I wanted to claw my own eyes out of my sockets."

"There will be no more Martial Arts for you," her father cut her off.

Asuka's skin chilled and she took half a step back, unsure of what she'd just heard.

"W-What? Why?" she stammered.

"It is a privilege you have lost until you demonstrate you deserve it."

Her father brought forward three new mokujin dolls and placed them in the center of the room, resuming his practice while his dumbfounded daughter tried to make sense of what she'd just heard.

"You can't take this from me, Papa! It's all I have, all I am!"

"And therein lies the problem, Asuka. All you ever think about is fighting."

With a swift spin, her father's heel shattered one of the mokujin training dolls.

"There is more to life than fighting. So, until you've graduated, there will be no more spars, no more training, no more of your nonsense vigilantism."

Two more kicks and the second mokujin was destroyed.

"Hey! I try to help any way I can!" Asuka bellowed, unable to contain her anger any more. "I fight for others who can't defend themselves. When that God-Fist bastard Feng crippled you and dishonored our dojo, I went after him. I went alone into that damned tournament to get him back for what he did to you. I was only _sixteen_ and I wasn't afraid to go in and fight him!"

"Is that all you ever want to do in life, Asuka?!" Her father's voice roared over hers. "Fight?!"

"At least I'm not afraid to fight!" Asuka screamed at her father's face. "Unlike you! You've never fought for anything you say to value. Not for me, not for this dojo... not even for mom!"

The blow came so hard it knocked Asuka to the floor. Fresh blood began to trickle freely from her nose and she backed up from her enraged father.

"Get. Out. Of. My... SIGHT!" He roared through clenched teeth, his body quivering with raw anger. Asuka picked herself up from the floor and ran out of the dojo towards the house.

Alone now in the emptiness of the dojo, accompanied only by the wrecked mokujin training dolls, Mr. Kazama slammed his good fist into the final doll standing, shattering to pieces.

Fresh tears of pain joined the tears of anger and shame that now freely streamed down his face.


	3. Chapter 3: Bizarre Contract

Asuka craned her neck back, enjoying the feel of the soothing warm shower running down her body. She was gently washing her face when pain shot through her left cheek, making her breathe in sharply. She gently passed a hand over the area again and felt the same pain. She immediately knew what it was.

A bruise.

Her father had given it to her.

That had been the first time he had ever raised a hand against her. He had never been a violent man. As master of his own dojo, he taught children from around the neighborhood that violence was a means of defense, never attack.

But he had changed so much since Feng's attack. His divorce with her mother had only served to turn him even more bitter and distant.

I've changed, too.  
Everything's changed so much...

Asuka shut off the water and dried herself off. She quickly dressed into her school uniform and turned to leave when she caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror. Using the sleeve of her shirt, she wiped the fog away.

A large black bruise encircled her left eye and traveled down her cheek.

She slammed her fist against the mirror, breaking it.

Her father was waiting for her in the living room. Like always, he had prepared breakfast and a lunch for her to take to school, but when he called out to her, she ignored him.

The empty pit in her stomach had been filled, replaced with boiling resentment towards him.

She got on her bike and rode out into the road, leaving her father calling out to her from behind.

She never looked back at him.

* * *

**OSAKA INTERNATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL**

* * *

Once again the day began and once again, Asuka had to ignore the stares and whispers of the students as she passed them on her way to class. She entered the elevator that lead up to A-Hall and leaned against the side glass as the door silently shut. She glanced to the side and in the reflection she caught the curious eyes of another student who was staring at her bruise with wide eyes.

"What are you staring at, Hirano?!" She barked, annoyed.

Miharu froze in shock at being discovered, dropping her school books. She retreated from Asuka until her back met the opposite side of the elevator. She lifted her arms in protest.

"_So so so!_ Nothing, Asuka!"

Asuka breathed in deep and let it out, feeling bad for the terrified girl next to her. It wasn't her fault that she was having a bad day and it wasn't right to take it out on her, as annoying as being stared at was. She began to apologize when the elevator beeped softly and the doors opened. Miharu swept up her books with a swift move and ran out before Asuka could say anything. She sighed again, clutched her backpack and made her way to the first door on the right.

_A-2. Here we go again_. She opened the door and what she saw amazed her.

The room was completely empty, devoid of all desks except for hers. Lee and the robot he kept in the room were standing on their hands in the middle. Whatever movement Lee made, the robot mimicked with its own oversized metallic limbs. Lee was completely unaware that he was being watched, so Asuka went to set her stuff down as he slowly raised one of his arms, balancing his entire body on his right arm.

His untucked shirt fell down over his face, giving Asuka a glance at his finely toned body.

_Woah, for a teacher, he's really ripped! _She thought for a second. Asuka wasn't boy crazy like the other girls in her school, but she could appreciate a finely toned body when she saw one. She peeled her gaze away from him and cleared her throat to get his attention.

Losing his concentration and his balance, Lee fell to the floor and the robot followed suit.

"I didn't even hear you enter!" He laughed, rubbing at a spot on his knee.

"What was that all about?" Asuka asked.

"Ah, I suppose I haven't introduced you to my assistant," he said, helping the robot to its feet. "This is COMBOT 555-X. I call her Fives, for short. I was using the ghost data feature to teach her new moves." He walked over to the board and picked up a piece of chalk, taking Asuka's homework as he passed her desk.

"Ghost what, now?" Asuka asked, half bored and uninterested.

Lee turned to her with an eyebrow raised and a mischievous grin on his.

"Ghost data, remember? I spent the entire day talking about it yesterday. You were even assigned research to do for homework-," he flipped the page over to find it completely empty. "...that you didn't do, I see..."

To Asuka's surprise, he didn't get mad. He didn't even see mildly annoyed. He leaned his head back and let out a hearty laugh. She stared at him awkwardly until he settled down.

"Am I really that boring, Miss Asuka?"

"Well it is Robotics Engineering..."

Lee crossed his left arm over his chest and rested the piece of chalk on his chin thoughtfully.

"That's too bad," he said. "I was hoping you could help me with Fives' ghost training."

It was Asuka's turn to laugh.

"Train her to do what, exactly? The laundry? Chores?"

"To fight," Lee said. His grin turned into a wide smile when Asuka's head snapped up. "Ahh, so I've caught your attention, hmm?"

"You want me to teach your robots how to fight? Why?"

Lee turned his back to her and pulled a cellphone out of his pocket.

"Miss Naomi? It's me. Bring the limo around, please. Thank you." He turned back to Asuka. "I've called for my personal assistant. If you'd like an opportunity to learn something new, improve your grades in this class AND get paid for it all at the same time, come with us to our test labs. There's a lot I have to show you."

"Right now? During class?"

"I don't seem to find the problem," Lee said.

"I don't think that's how it works, Mr. Violet," said a new voice from the entrance.

Asuka turned towards the newcomer. She was well dressed in professional attire. Her long hair was braided into a simple ponytail and a smart set of glasses sat on her button nose. "I sincerely object to this. Hiring a student to work with us is one thing. Taking her from school is something completely different!"

"Nonesense, my sweet Naomi," Lee said, getting his things. "It's all part of the curriculum."

Naomi sighed in defeat. "Your funeral," she said, turning to Asuka.

"The limousine is ready whenever you are, Miss Kazama."  
"How do you know my name?" Asuka demanded at the mysteriously resourceful woman in front of her. Naomi shot Lee a questioning look.  
"Don't take this personally, but we've kind of been following you. There's a tournament taking place soon. I'm sure you're familiar with it. The King of Iron Fist."

The name of the tournament set off a spark in Asuka. She numbly shook her head.  
"Another one?" She asked, but the words seemed muffled to her. Her lips tingled with anticipation and only one thing set itself in her mind. Another King of Iron Fist tournament meant the gathering of fighters from the far reaches of the world.

Which meant that Feng would probably be there, too.

"...have announced that they will be bringing back the Tag system for a second time," Lee was saying. "So you see, we need someone to train our combots so that we can enter the tournament."  
"Why me?" Asuka asked, still slightly dazed.  
"The only other person who can train them is Lee himself," Naomi said. "But if he did, the combat would be his exact replica and an attack that can bring Lee down will also be the downfall of the Combot. That's why we need someone fierce, fast, relentless and powerful. In other words, someone just like you! Interested?"

Asuka immediately took a step forward but hesitated for a moment.

Her father had told her she was strictly forbidden to fight or even train again until after she graduated. The voice in the back of her head told her to obey him, like she always had. It warned her that taking on this endeavor would upset her father again very much.

Just like it would when she had done something that would get her in trouble as a child, her mind quickly began devising excuses for her actions.

A new voice in her head put an end to it all.

It was her father's.

_Only children use excuses and you're not a child anymore. You're nineteen years old, Asuka! Act like it!_

"Miss Kazama?" Naomi asked worriedly. "Is everything alright?"

Asuka realized she had been gripping the door tightly and immediately shook herself from her thoughts.

She cast all doubt aside.

Her father was right. She was not a child anymore. She needed no more excuses.

"I'm fine, just a little excited," she said, pleasantly. Turning the corner with them, they walked down the hall towards the elevators.


	4. Chapter 4: Long Days Ahead

Asuka grunted as she propelled herself towards her waiting metallic opponent. _Fives_ tried dodging Asuka's aerial attack but instead of sidestepping, it jumped. Asuka's kick sent it flying back against the wall. Asuka landed lightly on her feet, twirling around and assuming attack position.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her arm as she waited to see if _Fives_ had memorized how to recover from a direct medium hit.

After an hour-long drive, they had all arrived at the new Violet Systems Testing Facility in Kyoto, where they had a hearty breakfast at one of the many cafeterias in the lab and Lee explained how to access the Ghost Data feature. Asuka had two months to forge _Fives_ into an unstoppable fighting machine to join Lee's alter ego, Violet, in the next King of Iron Fist Tournament.

She smiled to herself.

_Getting paid and passing the class by fighting._

A steady vibration in her pocket distracted her from her thoughts. In the split second that took her to realize what was going on, _Fives_' large metallic fist slammed against her, sending her flying back against the opposite wall of the training room.

"Fives, disengage!" she yelled at the Combot as it approached her like a menacing predator. It comedically placed its hands on its hips.

"You're all show," it mimicked with an electronic recording of Asuka's voice and walked away, powering down at the other end of the room.

"Good boy," Asuka smiled. She pulled out her cellphone to see who had been persistently calling.

It was her father.

Asuka's blood boiled and she angrily thumbed the end call button. She wasn't ready to talk to him again. The screen flashed a missed call and she put it away, picking herself up from the floor.

"Woohoo, _Fives_!" she clapped for the Combot, walking towards him. "You've learned a lot today!"

She reached over Fives' shoulder and switched off the Ghost feature. She glanced over at the digital clock on the wall and gasped at the late hour.

"Yikes! We've been training all day, Fives! Let's do one final review and call it a day, huh?"

The Combot gave her a series of relieved beeps and groans, assuming the ready position.

"Forward, left, back, strafe right, jump..." Asuka called out all the movements she had trained Combot to perform and watched proudly as it moved around her with impressive footwork, all while keeping its targeting system locked onto her.

"...And victory stance!" Asuka jumped up with her hands in the air, laughing as Fives clumsily imitated her.

"Ohh, excellent!" Lee appeared from behind them dressed in head to toe as his alter ego, Violet, clapping ecstatically. "You are amazing! Simply amazing!"

"Thanks," Asuka scratched her head sheepishly. She wasn't used to being so enthusiastically admired. Violet turned his head towards her. "Ah, yes! You are doing a magnificent job as well, Ms. Kazama. I hope I'm not interrupting anything.

Asuka cleared her throat and tried to hide her embarrassment.

"No, not at all. We're done for tonight."

Violet stared at her thoughtfully and smiled to himself.

"What is it?" She asked, suspiciously.

"You just... remind me of someone," Violet said with distant eyes. He shook his head and threw his hands up. "Anyway, if you're ready to return to Osaka, Naomi has the limousine ready. We also have dormitories available if you would like to save yourself the trip back."

Asuka was picking up her stuff from the floor when the cellphone in her pocket began to vibrate again. She heaved a sigh, checking the caller I.D. It was her father again.

"Problem, Asuka?" Violet asked, concerned.

Asuka stared at the phone as it vibrated in her hand.

"_2 MISSED CALLS, 1 NEW VOICEM__ESSAGE__,"_ blinked the screen. Asuka pressed and held the power button on her cell phone. The phone powered down.

"I'll stay," she nodded at him.

"Wonderful," Violet said, pulling out his phone. "Miss Naomi? Can you show our young assistant to the dormitories, please? Thank you."

"If you're up for it, you're welcome to join me at the Violet Valhalla, the finest bar and pub in Kyoto owned and operated by yours truly."

"Owned but definitely not operated," Naomi snorted playfully from behind. "That great honor falls to me, like everything else. But he's right, you should come."

Asuka stretched her aching muscles. "I could use a little relaxation. I just don't have anything to wear."

"Our dorms come with spacious walk-in closets with fresh clothes. You may wear anything you find."

Naomi led Asuka towards the elevators and clicked on the fifteenth floor button. As they began the slow rise up, Naomi grinned at her curtly.

"You have questions," she said. "Feel free to ask them."

"On the ride here you said I was chosen out of a dozen candidates to train the Combots. Why did you choose me?"

Naomi paused for a moment and smiled.

"We once worked with a Kazama before. She was kind, hard-working and tough as nails, just like you."

"Huh? Who?"

"Her name was Jun."

"Aunt Jun worked with Lee?!"

Naomi smiled and nodded, her eyes taking on the same shade of nostalgia that had clouded Lee's earlier. "Lee was... very fond of her."

"He fell in love with Jun?" Asuka asked, incredulously.

Naomi chuckled.

"Head over heels. Unfortunately his feelings were not reciprocated. Jun fell for someone else: Lee's adoptive brother. This drove Lee over the edge and for a long time he just... fought. He fought and fought until he was badly beaten in the second King of Iron Fist Tournament. He was banished by his adoptive father to America. That's where I found him."

The elevator doors opened with a soft tone and Asuka followed Naomi down the halls, intrigued by the tale.

"Together we created this great empire. But his enemies are out and about. Nobody must know that Lee Chaolan has returned to the King of Iron Fist Tournament."

"So that's why he uses that Violet persona of his."

"I will admit it's a little too flamboyant at times, but it keeps him anonymous. As long as his enemies think he's a teacher in some private school, he'll be safe. That's all that matters."

Asuka shot her a sideways mischievous grin. "You really like him, huh?"

Naomi's face flushed red and she cleared her throat, readjusting her glasses. They reached the first door and Naomi swiped a key card. The door slid open and Asuka gasped. The room was enormous!

"I've assigned you to a presidential suite on the eastern wing of the complex. Feel free to walk around any time you wish. I'll be back in an hour to pick you up and we'll meet Lee at the Valhalla. Deal?"

"Yeah!" Asuka stammered as she walked in. The door silently hissed shut behind her and she walked over to the bathroom, marveled at the size of the suit. It was almost as big as her house!

She showered and changed into a red mini dress that complimented her curves. She opted for wearing the white arm warmers, too. At exactly one hour, Naomi showed up to pick her up and they drove fifteen minutes to the Violet Valhalla.

The place was packed when they got there, but two bodyguards led Naomi and Asuka through a private entrance. When the double doors opened, Asuka was instantly bombarded by the sights and smells of the party, which was now on full blast. At the center, dozens of men and women danced to the rhythm of American Rapper Snoop Dogg's music.

The bodyguards led them to a booth in a private section of the club, where two glasses of drinks were served.

"One of the Violet Girls will come around to take your order. I have a meeting with the board of directors, but Violet will join you shortly. I'll be back later to pick you both up," Naomi said. "Enjoy yourself and just relax."

Asuka nodded and took a seat, glancing over the menu.

"Geez, finally! Some food! I'm starving!" Asuka said to herself, taking a long sip of the cool orange soda. A slim girl with waist long locks of blonde hair clad in a tiny violet mini dress came to serve her.

"Welcome to the Violet Valhalla," she said in heavily French-accented Japanese. "How may I serve- ASUKA KAZAMA?!"

Asuka coughed and spat out the gulp of soda she had taken. "Lili? What on earth are you doing here?!"

"Come to fight me again?" Lili laughed and dropped her waitress notepad. "I know I'm fabulous, but you don't have to stalk me at my place of work to fight!"

"Get over yourself!" Asuka scoffed.

"Well, come on, then!" Lili said sweetly. "I can take you on and still look great doing it in a waitress dress!"

"Picking fights again, Emilie?"

Lili gasped and turned around. "No sir, Mister Violet!" she said quickly.

Violet smiled. "Good. Then I'll take the usual. With a little more spice this time, darling."

Lili nodded and quickly wrote the order down on her notepad.

"And what will your, uh, illustrious wonderfully fashion-oriented guest be having tonight?"

"You can have anything," Violet told Asuka as he sat down across from her. "On the house."

"Anything, huh?" Asuka gave Lili an evil smile. Lili stared at her in horror. It was going to be a long night.

"I'll start off with the Special on the Violet Vengeance." She glanced up at Lili. "I heard it's best served cold."

* * *

**FOUR HOURS LATER**

* * *

The food was unbelievable.

It was so great that Asuka had been full a long time ago and she still ordered more food. She discovered that she and Violet shared not just a love for fighting, but for food as well. Thirteen plates lay stacked neatly on the corner of the table by the time Naomi finally came back. The party was long over and the waiters and waitresses were cleaning the club up.

"I'm telling you." Violet was almost yelling, his speech slightly slurred from the alcohol. "I put on this fake wig and nobody knows it's me!"  
"Every time?" Asuka was laughing hysterically, her eyes wild.

"What's going on here?" Naomi demanded. "Asuka! How many servings of Violet Vengeance did you have?!"

"Aw, not much like five or six... or seven."  
"Or one dozen!" Violet exclaimed.

They howled in laughter together.

"Asuka! The Vengeance is an alcoholic desert!"

"Oh, really?!" Asuka was dying of laughter by now.

Naomi groaned as her two drunken coworkers sang a song.

"I don't get payed enough," she sighed.

* * *

**ASUKA'S DORM**

* * *

The door slid open and a figure stealthily somersaulted in. She stalked over the shadows, searching through the rooms until at last, she found it. Making sure there were no cameras or extra guests around, she approached the Combot, who was resting in sleep mode at the corner of the room.

Lili smiled under her mask.

"We'll see who gets the last laugh, my sweet Asuka."

She pulled out a screwdriver and got to work.

* * *

**LATER...  
**

* * *

It was really late by the time Naomi helped Asuka stumble back into her room. Lee was still in party-mode so Naomi gave Asuka a brief good-night and helped Violet get back to the limousine.

Asuka walked over to her couch and plopped down on it, exhausted.

She slept dreamlessly for a few hours until something woke her up. She drank down a glass of water and, unable to go back to sleep, turned the television on to some American cartoons.

She reached for her phone and turned it on to check the time.

No sooner had it turned on when the ringer exploded, nearly startling the buzz out of Asuka.

"Who could be calling at this hour?" She grumbled. "Hello?"

"Asuka! Thank God! Where are you? Are you okay?!"

"Never better?" Asuka chuckled, drunkenly. "What's up, mom?"

There was a long pause, making Asuka's skin ice up.

"Mom?"

"There was a drive-by shooting at the dojo tonight... Your father's been killed."


	5. Chapter 5: A New Dawn

The rain poured down harder than Asuka had ever felt it, splashing against the tears in her eyes and making her grip on the Combot's shoulders slip. She clawed at _Fives_' shoulder plates and regained her grip as the robot zoomed down the streets on the motorized rollerblades installed on its metallic feet. The hour long trip back to Osaka felt like nothing to Asuka.

She was numb. Her body trembled, producing a series of long, uncontrollable sobs as they dashed towards the Kazama residence. The surrealism of it all kept her from thinking straight. The dashing headlights of cars swerved to the side and honked their horns as _Fives_ recklessly drove across crossing streets in an effort to reach their destination faster.

_This isn't happening. This isn't real._ "It isn't real!" she screamed. They turned the corner onto their street and there it was. Police lights flooded the entire scene and a large crowd had gathered around the dojo's entrance to see what was going on. _Fives_ came to an immediate, screeching halt and Asuka flew from its back and landed roughly on the hard cement sidewalk.

Ignoring the fresh scrapes, she hauled herself from the floor and ran towards the front doors.

"_Papa_!" She cried. "_Papa_!"

An officer tried to stop her and she punched him in the face. The officer growled angrily and grabbed for her arm, but another tall cop with long hair placed a hand on him.

"Let her go," Detective Lei Wulong ordered. "She is the man's daughter."

The officer applied a handkerchief to his bloodied nose and stepped out of the way.

Asuka ran through them into the house, looking for her father in a panicked frenzy.

And then she saw him.

"She musn't touch the evidence-"

"Silence, damn you! She is his only daughter!" Wulang shouted. "We have all the evidence we need."

He turned to the paramedics who were standing by. "Give her time. When she's ready, take him in for an autopsy."

"How much time, sir?"

Lei glanced back as Asuka cradled her father in her arms. "As much as she needs."

He motioned for his police force to back off, giving her room with her father.

"I'm so sorry, _Papa_," Asuka croaked, clinging on to her father. "I'm so sorry."

_I should have been here. I never should have left you!_

She cried over her father's body hard until she couldn't cry anymore. She shuddered weakly as the sobs subsided into whimpers. He was alive. He had been alive only hours earlier. How could this happen?

It couldn't happen. It couldn't be real. Slowly but surely, reality began to cement itself in and Asuka knew that she would never be able to apologize to her father.

Those late night spars, the delicious food, the time spent together... all gone forever. Around her, life would continue, unaware of the wonderful person the world had just lost and all of it, along with the guilt that she felt for not being around enraged Asuka. She lifted her eyes up at the sound of movement from the police force.

Detective Wulong was bent over his black SUV's hood, talking on his radio and sipping coffee.

"Prime suspects seem to have opened fire and fled on foot," he was saying. "Have you scanned to broken feedback I've sent from the trashed surveillance cameras? Good, do you have a location? Affirmative, we'll be on our way."

Lei put up his radio and signaled for the other officers to follow him. He gave Asuka one last sympathetic glance.

"We found them," he said in a soothing voice. "They're going to pay for what they did."

When Asuka didn't answer, Lei closed the door shut on his SUV and drove off, the squad cars chasing off after him.

Once again, she was alone with her father. Something inside her compelled her to act. To run.

Denial faded away, consumed by a murderous fire deep inside her. Anger blossomed out of this and it consumed Asuka._ They took him from me...__They have to pay!_

Leaving her father's side, she walked over to his room. The bed was neatly made.

_That's the last time he ever made his bed_, she thought sadly.

She quickly made her way to the surveillance camera feed mounted on the wall. It had been torn out, taken by the cops as evidence. But after her father had been attacked by Feng, he had kept backups around. She reached over and pulled out a tiny microchip that kept all the backup surveillance files.

"Fives," she called. The Combot zoomed to her side and delivered a series of inquisitive beeps. "Track this for anybody who passed by our dojo last night. Tell me who murdered my father."

She inserted the chip and for a moment, the Combot registered its contents. It beeped twice and its eyes flashed green.

"Save the image," she instructed. "Now tap into the police's radio frequencies."

She waited while the Combot used its incredible and highly illegal slicing features until it successfully patched her through.

Asuka had changed out of her dress and into her training gear. She turned towards the Combot, tightening her black belt around her waist.

"Let's go get 'em."

* * *

**YAKUZA LAIR  
**

* * *

A thin layer of warm marijuana smoke covered the room as the four gangsters gambled around a small table, enjoying the company of half naked women dancing to the beat of Japanese rap music. The door to their hideout exploded, making the music stop and the women screamed, scattering away to find refuge against the sudden assault.

The large figure in the doorway gleamed in the night, its large red eyes scanning the faces of the drugged out Yakuza gangsters. Its light rested over the face of a certain gangster with a large red mohawk. Asuka gasped. It was the man from the other day. The one she had stopped on the street. _Fives_' red light flashed green, confirming that this was the man from the surveillance cameras.

"What the hell is this?" Mohawk barked. Asuka was seething with rage. She charged at him, grabbing him and slamming him against their own table.

"On my father's death, I swear I'm going to kill you!" She roared. "Fives, attack mode. Now!"  
_Fives_' green eyes turned red and it assumed attack mode, dashing forward and taking out the other three gangsters in a flurry of lightning-fast attacks.

Asuka grabbed Mohawk's arm, savagely forcing it into an unnatural position. It bent back with a grotesque snap and Mohawk screamed in agony.

"I'm going to make it hurt!" Asuka yelled at him, completely unrestrained now. She wrapped his loose shirt around her fist and unleashed a flurry of powerful swings at him, each more powerful than the last. Something in her fist snapped, but Asuka didn't care as she savagely pummeled mohawk against the desk. It gave out under them and they both fell to the ground.

Mohawk was barely conscious now as Asuka clutched at his throat mercilessly.

Something hard and metallic hit her in the back of the head, hard. Disoriented, she wasn't able to defend herself as a large meaty hand grabbed her and tossed her against the wall like a ragdoll.

When her head cleared, she saw a large hulking mammoth of a man stomping his way towards her.

"Asuka Kazama. Don't take it so personal, love," he said in an Austrailian accent. "You did mess with the boss' son. What did you expect?"

Asuka picked herself up and ran at her gargantuan foe. She launched herself at him, but he swatted her away, taking her by a foot and swinging her around, slamming her back against the ground. The world spun and blurred and Asuka began to loose focus. She glanced weakly over at _Fives_. He was visibly malfunctioning. The screws around its head popped off. The giant man picked up the broken table in the middle of the room and swung it against _Fives_, hard. The Combot exploded into pieces and the giant roared in laughter.

He turned and began to move towards Asuka. The last thing she saw before passing out was a pair of red boots and a flowing red cape stepping out in front of her.

* * *

**LEE CHAOLAN'S MANSION**

* * *

The quiet conversation behind her stirred her from her nightmares.

Asuka found herself laying on a couch in front of a fireplace. She ached all over as she tried to get up.

"You musn't move," said a voice beside her. Asuka looked up to see an angelic young face with sparkling green eyes and pink hair. "Do not worry. All threats have been neutralized. Your wounds will heal shortly."

"Where am I? What happened?" Asuka groaned.

"We are in the residence of Lee Chaolan. We rescued you from the Yakuza."

"_We_?"

"There she is," said a low-pitched voice. A handsome muscular man with sandy brown hair and a scarred face smiled down at her. "We got to you just in time. You really shouldn't pick fights with Yakuza grunts. Especially grunts like Craig Marduk."

"Where-Where is he?" Asuka said, remembering the fight earlier.

"Local police office, under investigation, no doubt," said Lee, coming around the corner in his normal attire. "Detective Wulong will handle him and his cronies. I can't thank you enough, Lars," he said, reaching out and taking the man's arm with his own.

"Anything for a friend," Lars replied, returning the gesture. "But we must be on our way. See ya at the Tournament in a few weeks. Alisa?"

"Swift recoveries, Asuka Kazama," said the young girl before hurrying after Lars.

Lee pulled up a chair with a basin of warm water and a towel.

He shushed her as he gently patted the wet cloth against her injuries.

Asuka was too weak to protest so she just stared up at him as he dressed her wounds.

In that brief period of silence, it all came crashing back on Asuka.

The fight she and her father had had the last night they'd been together, the disappointment he had felt upon learning that she was constantly getting into trouble, the way he had tried to get in touch with her and she wouldn't let him. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks and Lee stared down compassionately at her.

"You know," he said, continuing his gentle brushes on her face with the cloth. "When I was a very little boy, my parents and I were in a freak car wreck, hit by some drunk asshole who never should have been driving in the first place. I survived because a friendly Samaritan managed to pull me out before the car exploded. My parents did not make it out."

He paused, shaking visibly at the memory. Asuka realized this wasn't a memory he visited often.

"For the longest time, I felt guilty," he continued. "Guilty of being alive, when my parents were. Guilty of surviving when my parents didn't. That guilt drove me to run away and fight. I lived in the streets many many years before finally being adopted by the head of the Mishima conglomerate, Heihachi Mishima himself. Under him, I learned how to properly fight. I became a living weapon and I rose to power."

He lifted a lock of Asuka's hair with the back of his fingers and tucked it behind her ear, getting the corner of her forehead with the wet cloth.

"Years later, I returned to China a wealthy and powerful man. I used my resources to hunt down the man responsible for robbing me of my parents, of my childhood. But after I found him, I couldn't bring myself to kill him, as I had planned. Something stopped me."

"What was it?" Asuka croaked.

Lee stared into his own soul for a moment. "He only had one daughter who's greatest dream in life was to build the greatest theme park in China. That's when I realized that in acting in my greed and selfishness, I would force upon another innocent life the sorrow of the broken life I'd led. Vengeance is never the answer. It may feel like it at first, but believe me, it will only consume you and innocent others around you." Lee sighed, putting the towel away. "I knew your father. He was a great man. Honor his memory and make him proud with every breath you take."

Asuka's throat was tight with sorrow, so she managed a weak nod. She leaned into Lee and he hugged her.

He stayed with her until the sun came up.


	6. Chapter 6: Enter the Spy

**SOMEWHERE ELSE...**

* * *

The woman sat cross-legged in the middle of the room in complete darkness. The only light source was a small television screen in front of her. She watched as a black and white image of Violet entered the room with a crate full of robot parts and sat down to work.

"As I live and breath, Lee Chaolan _working_ on something," a female voice said from the distance. The woman watching the live feed chuckled to herself as she watched Naomi stride into view and sit next to Lee.

"Those were some encouraging words back there," Naomi said. "Is she alright?"

Lee continued working on the Combot.

"Yeah, she'll be alright. She's a tough one."

"Like Jun."

Lee paused for a long moment.

"I'm sorry," Naomi said, quickly. "I've just been thinking about her a lot lately."

"Yeah," Lee sighed, going back to work. "Me too."

He put down _Fives_' head and looked up at his assistant.

"The servomotors have been destroyed beyond repair. I'll have to completely refurnish _Fives_. I don't think he will be ready in time for the Tournament."

"And of course, you destroyed the Super Combot DX model in Brazil," Naomi added.

"Yeah, it looks like I'm going to be needing a replacement partner for the tournament then," Lee said, brushing a hand through his silver hair. "Any candidates?"

"I'll go," a new voice said from beyond the surveillance camera's view. In strode a girl clad in white clothes. The woman who was watching it all gasped.

"Jun? It can't be!" She said with wide eyes.

"Asuka, we can't ask this of you," Naomi said. "The King of Iron Fist is ruthless."

The woman watching let out a breath and laughed.

"It isn't."

In the video, Asuka laughed. "I know, I fought in the last one. Almost won, too. But it's my fault that _Fives_ was destroyed so I want to make up for that. Plus, I have a score to settle with one of the fighters. For _Papa_'s memory."

Naomi gave Lee a questioningly look.

"She was rather impressive in the last Tournament," she said. "I'll leave it up to you, boss."

Lee stared at Asuka in thought for a long time.

"Alright," he agreed. "Asuka Kazama, in two months' time you shall be my Tekken Tag Partner."

He placed a hand over her shoulder and led her away while Naomi trailed behind.

The room was empty once again and the woman picked up the remote control and switched the television off, standing to her feet.

"My sweet, delicious Lee," she said to herself. "You tried to hide but I've smoked you out."

* * *

**TWO MONTHS LATER**

* * *

He was fast.

Blinding fast!

Asuka huffed and puffed as she tried to keep up with the shirtless body in front of her. Violet's silky violet bangs flapped through the air as he somersaulted towards the ServiceBOT. The ServiceBOT didn't know what hit it as Violet's elbow came crashing down on its head. With a swift arch, he swung around and connected again with his right fist.

The ServiceBOT flew through the air and Asuka intercepted it, adding a frenzy of kicks and punches that kept it airborne. Anticipating where it would land she dashed forward, grabbing it by its left shoulder. Violet had already taken hold of its right and together they slammed the poor ServiceBOT against the ground.

Asuka rolled away and rose to her feet as Violet athletically backflipped into his own hitman stance.

"Pefect!" Violet called out, leaving his stance and walking over to Asuka. He took his black Aviator sunglasses off and slapped a towel over his shoulders.

"That's ten perfect tag combos in a row. I'd say you've got the hang of it by now. How's the arm?"

Asuka raised her right arm and moved it around. The pain that had been there the past few weeks had all but subsided.

"Feels great!" She said. "Like new."

"Good, good," Violet said, putting his shirt on. "Get some rest, partner. Tomorrow's the big night."

* * *

**G CORPORATION MAIN OFFICE**

* * *

Kazuya watched the footage of his adopted brother and his young partner with disgust.

"I told you he'd be back," Anna said, stepping out from the shadows. "It was only a matter of time and the right prodding here and there."

"This girl," Kazuya said, pausing the footage and zooming in on Asuka. "Who is she?"

Anna glanced down at the screen.

"They called her Asuka Kazama."

Kazuya's hand turned into a fist, crushing the remote in his hand.

"No doubt related to the pest Jun... and Jin-"

"I know damn well who she's related to!" Kazuya roared. "I grow tired of that cursed family meddling in my business!"

Anna stared at her boss with a raised eyebrow before bringing back her honey smile.

"What's the matter, Kazu?" She pouted. "Afraid of a little school girl?"

Kazuya glared up at her, standing from his throne-like chair.

"That girl... Lee has grown attached to her, hasn't he?"

"Their loyalty to each other is unquestioned," Anna said.

"You never learn, Lee..." Kazuya mumbled. "Therein lies the chink in his armor. Hurt the girl and you hurt him."

"Sure. How do you want me to handle it?"

"I want them crushed!" He ordered. "Leave Lee to me. He dies by my hands."

"Of course," Anna giggled. "And the girl?"

"She doesn't survive the tournament," Kazuya said, walking down the long hall that lead to his office. "Let that be her grave."

"I've got just the fighter for that," Anna said, confidently. She opened a folder under her arm and pulled out a photo. Kazuya scanned the image with a satisfied grin.

"He'll do," he said. "Take care of it."

* * *

**AN: HOLY SCHNITZEL, YOU GUYS! THE TOURNAMENT STARTS TOMORROW! WHO WILL BE THE FIRST TAG TEAM PITTED AGAINST OUR HEROES? AND WHAT EVIL SCHEME DOES ANNA HAVE UP HER SLEEVES? STAY TUNED!**


End file.
